Description
This Falafel Wrap recipe offers a delicious, fresh, and satisfying Middle Eastern-inspired meal. Featuring crispy homemade falafel balls wrapped in soft pita or flatbread with creamy hummus, tangy pickled onions, fresh vegetables, and a zesty tahini dressing, it’s perfect for lunch or dinner. The recipe combines traditional soaking and frying techniques to create falafel with a flavorful herbaceous kick, balanced by cooling tahini and crunchy veggies.
Ingredients
Scale
Falafel
- 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cilantro (coriander), roughly chopped
- 10 mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 4 green onions, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons flour (chickpea flour or any flour)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Wrap Assembly
- 16 falafel balls (homemade or store-bought)
- 4 wraps of choice or pita bread
- ¾ cup hummus (store-bought or homemade)
- Pickled onions or sumac onions
- Shredded lettuce
- Tomato slices
- Pickles
Tahini Dressing
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Pinch of salt
- 2-4 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Soak Chickpeas: In a large bowl, soak the dried chickpeas in water overnight or for at least 8 hours, ensuring the bowl has enough room as the chickpeas will double in size.
- Process Chickpeas: Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas well under cold water, then place them in a food processor and pulse a few times until they are roughly chopped.
- Add Herbs and Spices: Roughly chop parsley, cilantro, mint, and green onions. Add these along with garlic, flour, cumin, baking powder, water, salt, and black pepper to the food processor.
- Combine Mixture: Pulse the mixture until well combined and finely chopped but still slightly textured for the best falafel texture.
- Form Falafel Balls: Using wet hands, shape the mixture into 12-16 falafel balls depending on size preference. Adjust dryness by adding water if crumbly or flour if too wet.
- Chill Falafel: Place the falafel balls on a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to firm up before frying.
- Fry Falafel: Heat oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Fry the falafel balls in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then drain on paper towels. Alternatively, an air fryer can be used.
- Prepare Wrap Ingredients: Chop vegetables, pickles, and pickled onions. Prepare or use store-bought hummus and pita or wraps.
- Make Tahini Dressing: Whisk tahini, lemon juice, salt, and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Add additional cold water to reach a thick but pourable consistency.
- Assemble Wraps: Spread hummus vertically down the center of each wrap, then layer lettuce, tomato slices, pickles, and onions on top.
- Add Falafel and Dress: Place 4 falafel balls on each wrap, drizzle generously with tahini dressing, and roll up like a burrito. Wrap in parchment for easy handling and serve.
Notes
- Soaking chickpeas overnight is essential for achieving the correct texture; do not substitute canned chickpeas.
- Falafel mixture should be moist but not wet; adding too much water can cause them to fall apart during frying.
- Chilling falafel before frying helps them hold their shape and fry evenly.
- Pickled onions or sumac onions provide a nice tang that complements the falafel well.
- Use fresh herbs for the best flavor in falafel.
- Oil temperature around 350°F (175°C) is ideal for frying falafel to get a crispy exterior without absorbing excess oil.
